1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric motor having a coil that has been molded with resin, an electric tool provided with the electric motor, and a method of manufacturing the electric motor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Numerous configurations for electric motors provided in electric tools have been proposed. One technology attempts to stabilize the shapes of the coil and stator core by wrapping a part of the coil with an insulating paper, fitting the coil into a slot of the stator core while deforming the coil, and immersing the coil and stator core in varnish to fix the two as an integral unit.
Another method for stabilizing the shapes of the coil and stator core is disclosed in Japanese patent application publication No. HEI-8-9601. The method involves deforming the coil partially wrapped in an insulating paper to fit into the slot of the stator core and covering the coil and part of the stator core with a resin to form an integral unit.
However, in the conventional electric motor described above, the portion of the coil wrapped in the insulating paper has poor heat dissipation. Further, the process of deforming the coil to fit into the slot of the stator core requires a skilled technique, as well as much time and expense to complete. Also, reusability of the stator core is poor when the coil and stator core are fixed together with varnish or resin because a prolonged time and effort is needed to remove the coil from the stator core.
Further, when fitting the coil into the stator core, gaps are formed between adjacent magnet wires, unnecessarily increasing the amount of resin needed to cover the coil because the resin flows into the gaps, and therefore increasing the weight of the motor. It is also difficult to form air paths between the coil and stator core after the coil has been fitted into the stator core.